A Little Flots and Jets
by Vana E
Summary: A little hidden scene behind the story of what happened to Merry and Pippin as the waters filled Orthanc. In answer to Jedipati’s challenge. A little angsty, very little. (Review?)


A Little Flots and Jets

Summery: More behind the story of what happened to Merry and Pippin as the waters filled Orthanc. Short and basically to the point.

This is in answer to Jedipati's challenge.

1: It must be 1,000 words or less  
2: It must be book based i.e. take a scene that was alluded to or left out of the books.  
3. It can be from the Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit.  
  


* * * *

Merry was munching on their last morsel of Lembas, a few crumbs remained and he and Pippin were hard-pressed to find more before they wasted away…Ent droughts were all the well but did naught for the empty stomach.

"Well would you look at that!" Pippin exclaimed and Merry looked over, peering through the darkness of the night and into the wasteland between the Gates and the great black tower of Orthanc. But black no more it seemed, for now Isengard seemed to be just one single pillar of cloud, stretching up high above them in all it's frightening glory.

"Do you think he can see out of that?" Merry licked his fingers and shifted on his hard seat of stone, they would need to move soon for the waters were soon to reach them. Yet the only ways were either through the small hole into the guardroom or back into the tunnel, and he knew naught where that lead.

"No, I doubt it." Pippin wriggled his toes a little, more than tired and hungry enough. "Not even Gandalf could see through that cloud, and Saruman has been losing his powers they say."

"Hmm, yes I agree…maybe it will be like a double prison for him now. One of black stone, the other of Treebeard's clouds. Pip!" The last word was said in such a loud voice that the hobbit in question leaped up, balling his fists in a motion of defense.

"What! Where is it? What's wrong, Merry? Are you hurt?" His bright eyes darted about for a bit before coming back slowly to Merry's snickering form. "What?"

"Oh you silly Took, no need to get so jumpy." He patted the hobbit's back. "I was just going say we had better get a move on, that water is coming up fast now and we don't want to get trapped like an Orc in a hole."

The other simply blinked. "Oh." And got to gathering their meager possessions, which consisted of their now too warm cloaks and empty Lembas leaf…Pippin was sentimental of the reminder of their last bit of food.

The two then crept off as silently, as hobbits do, and entered the hole behind them, seeking to find that little opening at the back that let them come up again to the Guardroom and by default, to the wall where they may find refuge. But they got quite the shock when they came through the hole and found the back of the room all crumbled in, no sign of escape visible and the water creeping up behind them at a frightening rate.

As they searched and scrambled over the rubble to find a way out, they soon felt the water lapping at their bare feet, and rising all the more faster.

"Pip," Merry gasped, feeling a little more than frightened by the way he was sloshing through the now ankle deep pool. "Through here, I think I've found a door but I need some help." He pushed at a great stone blocking the way and felt rather than saw the other hobbit come up beside him and push at it with his shoulder, grunting with effort. It didn't budge.

Pippin gave a small choked sob. "Oh Merry, we're going to be stuck in here. Then we are going to drown just like rats and no one will find us. Or they might but it will be too late. No one can hear us, not even Quickbeam or Treebeard oh Merry…"

"Pippin!" He shook the younger hobbit by the shoulders, firmly gripping him lest he collapse in despair. "We _will_ get out! Just have hope, for naught can be achieved without it." He waited till Pippin finally nodded and they set to moving the stone again, the pool now rippling around their knees and rising at an ever increasing speed.

Finally there was a grinding sound and it shifted, forcing the two to stumble as it slipped out from wherever it was wedged and allowed them to squeeze past into the arch behind. Reaching the door they found that it opened inwards, against the water, and they resorted to banging stones against the hinges to dislodge it. This caused for all the water to rush into the new little room when the door broke under the pressure, and the two hobbits tumbled in all soaked and unhappy, but still quite relieved they got out. 

"Food!" Pippin's exclamation sent them into a flurry to the stacked grain bags filled with dried meats, fruits, bread and most important…pipeweed complete with pipes.

"Lets stack them up there." Merry motioned to a stair leading up and even as the water rose to their waists, they managed to save quite a hefty amount of items by stacking them at the top of the spiraling staircase that ended in rubble and a tiny hole barely big enough for a child.

It was about now that they smelled the fresher air through the hole and Pippin poked his head through for a moment.

"It leads out." He said simply and slipped through with ease, leaving the older and larger hobbit to force himself, with great difficulty, through the small gap and almost getting stuck halfway.

The sky never looked so wonderful as it did when they came out on top of where the arch at the gate once stood, nothing but rubble except for the guardhouse next to it. It was still steamy and the clouds rising from the fetid water let off the acrid stench of gases and seared metal, but these two hobbits barely thought of it as they puffed their comfortably stuffed pipes.

"Pleasant night is it not, Pippin?" Merry lay on his back, legs crossed and letting his smoke join the rest in the still air.

"Yes indeed pleasant," Pippin grinned and sucked in deep, "but remind me one thing."

"And what would that be dear cousin?"

"Why I ever thought water was at all pleasant? I think I had the right idea as a child and never let mother bathe me."

Merry laughed jovially at that statement and simply slapped him on the back.

"You are an enigma my dear Pip, a pure and simple enigma."

And they puffed with contentment all the long night, while Isengard soon became a bubbling lake and the Ents continued pouring their wrath upon the abode of Saruman. Soon the others would be coming, and they would all be reunited. And life will get better from here on.

* * * *

'Isengard began to fill up with black creeping streams and pools. They glittered in the last light of the Moon, as they spread over the plain. Every now and then the waters found their way down into some shaft or spouthole. Great white steams hissed up. Smoke rose in billows. There were explosions and gusts of fire. One great coil of vapour went whirling up, twisting round and round Orthanc, until it looked like a tall peak of cloud, fiery underneath and moonlit above. And still more water poured in, until at last Isengard looked like a huge flat saucepan, all steaming and bubbling.' [_Pippin and Merry telling their tale at the Gates of Orthanc, Page 557 of the Harper Collins edition of the unabridged version of LOTR. Chapter 'Flotsam and Jetsam'_]

Maybe a review? Hmm, this really was written in about half an hour without breaks…my way of breaking writer's block. (ps: I accidentally went 82 words overboard, I hope it isn't too much of a big deal)


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